The water mist blended into the fog created by Kirigakure, reducing visibility even further. Yet the Kiri-nin saw no sign of Fugaku—not even a corpse.
"Where is he?!"
"How is this possible?!"
Using mist to hide from Kiri-nin was a direct provocation. Manipulating fog was their specialty; they wouldn't tolerate an outsider wielding it against them. Enraged, they scoured the area for Uchiha Fugaku. Soon, they locked onto his presence.
"Here."
Fugaku appeared before Uchiha Shin. Their Sharingan met for a brief moment, confirming each other's identity. Instantly, they stood back-to-back, surveying the thick mist around them. Fugaku had seized the chance to regroup with Shin.
"Have you seen Yashiro?" Fugaku asked grimly. His appearance was disheveled—clothes torn, blood staining his shoulder. The earlier attack hadn't been easy to endure. Shin was no better, bearing numerous wounds.
"No," Shin shook his head.
Fugaku's heart sank. Against so many Kiri-nin, he doubted Yashiro's chances.
Shin added urgently, "Their leader is Shikigami of Kiri's Three Demons assassination squad. Our priority is breaking out."
Fugaku nodded. He'd already deduced this after killing Enki, the female demon. That left Byakki, who was likely confronting Yashiro.
From the mist, several figures charged openly. Fugaku and Shin slashed through their attackers' necks with ease, but Fugaku's expression remained tense. The decapitated corpses continued their assault, as if their heads were mere ornaments.
Hidden in the mist, Shikigami formed hand seals.
"Corpse Art: Mist Manipulation of the Dead Technique!"
The pervasive mist became his medium for controlling the corpses. As for the bodies' source—Shikigami stepped back, revealing a Kiri-nin lying in ambush. The man paled in terror at the sight of him.
"Don't—"
A kunai pierced his throat. The dead Kiri-nin staggered to his feet, then lunged at Fugaku and Shin with unnatural speed.
The two Uchiha were hard-pressed. Though the reanimated corpses could only use taijutsu, their strength had intensified. Shin and Fugaku hurled shuriken, but the blades didn't strike flesh—instead, they crisscrossed midair, suspended by nearly invisible wires.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique!"
Twin streams of fire raced along the wires, igniting the corpses like a blazing dragon. Yet the burning figures kept advancing, forcing Fugaku and Shin to retreat under the onslaught of flame-engulfed strikes.
"We must kill the caster," Shin muttered, his Sharingan darting through the mist. But Kirigakure's signature technique wasn't so easily pierced by the Sharingan. The damp air soon smothered the flames on the corpses.
Fugaku weaved between two attackers, severing their limbs. The dismembered bodies collapsed—only for Shikigami to seal from the shadows.
"Corpse Art: Exploding Corpse Technique!"
BOOM!
The corpses detonated. The blast was minor, but the splattered blood coated Fugaku's face. He wiped it away, only to see the purple fluid evaporating rapidly.
"Poison?!"
The toxin took immediate effect. Fugaku swayed, dropping to one knee. The Kiri-nin surged forward like sharks scenting blood.
Shin's pupils constricted. He threw himself in front of Fugaku, his blade a desperate whirlwind of defense. But without Fugaku's strength, he could barely hold the line, new wounds opening with each passing second.
"Take the antidote!" Shin shouted.
Fugaku fumbled for the vial—but Shikigami was already upon him, mist coiling around his hands.
"Mist Art: Human Manipulation Technique!"
The chakra-infused mist solidified into invisible binds, paralyzing Fugaku. His vision darkened; his body refused to obey.
Shikigami raised a kunai to Fugaku's skull.
In that moment, Fugaku's life flashed before his eyes—his childhood of privilege, the weight of clan expectations, his fleeting dreams of becoming Hokage. Eighteen years of smooth sailing, ending here.
Perhaps this is fate.
What would become of the Uchiha under Uchiha Kin's rule? A man with no love for the village—could he truly lead the clan to glory? Or would it crumble, as Elder Hokaku had warned?
A shame. He'd never know.
Fugaku closed his eyes.
A ninja's battle was decided in an instant.
"Squelch."
Warm blood sprayed across Fugaku's face. The expected pain never came. Blinking, he saw Shin standing before him, a kunai jutting from his chest.
Fugaku's lips trembled. "...Shin!"
"THE ANTIDOTE!!" Shin roared. With his last breath, he yanked a stack of explosive tags from his pouch and tackled Shikigami.
BOOM!!
The explosion erased Shin's final hope—and Shikigami's body dissolved into water. His sacrifice had been for nothing.
The veins in Fugaku's eyes bulged crimson. His three tomoe spun wildly, then fused into a new pattern—a windmill.
He swallowed the antidote and stood.
Shikigami's voice echoed through the mist.
"To have a clansman die for you... you must be important. But your struggles only prolong the suffering. His corpse would've made a fine puppet—pity he blew himself to bits."
The taunt fell on deaf ears. Fugaku's eyes shut once more.
The Kiri-nin attacked.
When Fugaku reopened his eyes, his pupils bore a kaleidoscopic design.
"You will ALL die!!"
A decade ahead of fate—
Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan awakened.
...
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(Chapter End)